Folding cot.



No. 643,137. Patented Feb. l3

8. vT. HUTCHINSON.

FULDING CUT. A inicaeion filed May 3. 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheet I.

(No Model.)

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No. 643,87. Patented Feb. I3, I900.

S. T. HUTCHINSDN.

F 0 L D I N G 0 0 T (Application filed May 3, 1899.)

2 Sheets-Sheeii 2.

(No Moddl.)

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NirEo STATES PATENT 7 OFFICE.

SEARCY T. HUTCHINS ON, OF SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS.

FOLDING cor.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters was No. 643,137, dated February 13, 1900. Application filed May 3,1899. Serial no. 715,416. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, SEARCY T. HUToHINsoN a citizen of the United States, residing at San Antonio, in the county of Bexar and State of Texas, have invented a new and useful Folding Cot, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to folding cots adapted for use as military cots; and one object in View is to provide a device of this class which may be folded in compact form for transportation and storage and which when extended in its operative position is suffi ciently rigid and substantial, there being no detachable element, and, furthermore, to provide such a construction and arrangement of parts that when folded the flexible webbing or cover constitutes a sheath in which the frame members are wrapped and by which said members are held in their folded positions. l r p Further objects and advantages of this in- V vcntion willappear in the following descripings.

tion, and the novel features thereof will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims. i

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view of a cot constructed in accordance with my invention, the parts being arranged inoperative position. Fig. 2 ,is a similar view showing the cot inverted. Fig. 3 is'asimilar view showing the first step in the operation of folding the cot and indicating in full lines one of the terminal legs or standards in its folded position and the other in an extended position and also indicating in dotted lines.

1 designates the side bars of a cot connected by a webbing or cover 2, of canvas or equivalent material, said side bars being provided with terminal supports or legs 3, which are of folding construction. Each .support "or leg parts in all the figures of the draw consists of intermediately pivoted members 3 and 3*, preferably tapered in width toward theirlower ends and reduced in thickness from their pivotal points downward to provide are hingedly mounted upon the under sides 1 of the side bars'l, the hinges 4 being of any preferred construction and being so related that when the side bars 1 are in contact the hinge-pins of the hinges which connectthe members 3" and 3 of each leg to said side bars are in alinement, thus adapting the legs to fold inward, as indicated in Fig. 3. Furthermore, each leg is provided with a folding brace 5,

of which the pivotally-connected members are p terminally pivoted, respectively, to one of the side bars and to one of the members of a leg or support, a suitable stop 6 being employed in connection with each brace to limit the extension thereof, and hence limit the outward deflection of the lower ends of the legs or supports when the'cot is in its operative position. Owing to the fact that the hin'ge-pins-are arranged perpendicular or at right angles to the pivot connecting the members of the legs or supports, the legs must be extended (when in a folded position) before the side bars are separated, and conversely the side bars must be moved inward (from a separated position) and arranged in contact before the legs are folded, and when after extending the legs the side bars are separated the hinge-pins are so positioned (out of alinement) with relation to the pivots of the leg members as to prevent accidental folding of the legs. Furthermore, the leg members terminate abruptlyat their upper ends, and to allow a slight outward deflection of the legs toward. their lower ends the under sides of the bars 1 may be slightly recessed, as indicated at 7., to form seats for saidupper extremities of the leg members.

It is obvious that when the side bars of the cot are moved inward into contact the webbing of canvas or other material will be bowed upward to form a transverse loop of which the sides may be arranged in contact, and I havefound in practice that with a cot of the ordinary dimensions this Webbing when doubled is just sufficient to fold around the previously-folded legs or supports, as indicated in Fig. 4, to cause the folded edge to overlap the adjacent side bar, and by providing fastening devices to secure the webbing or cover in its wrapped position it is adapted to serve as a means of securing the legs against displacement and form of the cot a roll which may be packed in small compass for storage and transportation. In the construction illustrated the intermediate looped portion of the webbing or cover is provided with tongues 8, having eyes 9 for engagement with headed pins 10, projecting from one of the side bars, and I may also, as shown in the drawings, provide the webbing at the center of its length with registering eyelets 11 for engagement with an intermediate headed pin 12. Furthermore, secured to the upper side of the webbing, near its ends, and disposed transversely are handle or grip loops 13, of which the above-mentioned tongues may form extensions, the function of said grip-loops being to facilitate the unfolding or extension of the cot to occupy a normal or operative position. For instance, when it is desiredto extend the cot the looped or doubled edge of the webbing is detached from the headed pins or other fastening devices and the grip-loops are grasped and the cot is raised to allow the I position. .40

legs to swing downward, after which the lowering of the grip-loops to bring the lower extremities of the leg members into contact with the floor or supporting-surface will cause the spreading of said lower extremities, and consequently of the 'side bars, and the cot will at once spread automatically to its operative Thus without manipulation and simply by elevating the cot by means of the grip-loops it may be spread, whereby the operation of setting up the cot is simplified. To fold, the grip-loops are again grasped and the cot is raised to cause the inward movement of the side bars, after which the structure is deposited upon one side or on its top. As indicated in Fig. 3, the legs are folded inward to occupy positions parallel with the side bars and the cover is wrapped therearound to secure the parts in their folded positions. The upper ends of the leg members correspond in width with the side bars, and owing to the tapered construction of said leg members toward their lower extremities when folded the legs lie wholly within the contour of the adjacent parallel side bars, and when the cover is wrapped therearound the bundle formed is of the full length of the cot, but is contracted in dimensions transversely to occupy the minimum space.

An important feature of the construction described resides in the fact that the side. bars of the cot are adapted to fold together and that the legs are then adapted to fold upward against and parallel with the sides, whereby the folded cot forms a compact bundle capable of transportation with facility.

Having described my invention, what I claim is' 1. A cot having parallel side bars, a connecting flexible webbing secured at its side edges to said side bars, folding legs compris ing tapering members pivotally connected at intermediate points and having their opposing sides cut away from the pivot downward the entire transverse extent and from the pivot upward on diagonal lines, whereby the said members are adapted to lie and operate in the same plane, and said members hingedly mounted at their upper extremities respectively upon said side bars, the side bars being adapted for arrangement'in contact at their adjacent sides, and the legs being adapted to fold inward and lie laterally within the contour of the folded side bars, and the transversely-alined webbingbeing adapted to be wrapped around said side bars and folded legs, and means for securing the webbing in.

its wrapped condition, the same consisting of headed pins upon one side of the bars, and eyelets arranged near the looped portion of the webbing to engage said pins, substantially as specified.

2. A cot having parallel side bars, a connecting flexible webbing secured at its side edges to said side bars, folding legs each comprising members pivotally connected at intermediate points and hingedly mounted at their upper extremities upon said side bars, and the transversely looped webbing being adapted to be wrapped around said side bars and folded legs, headed pins projected from one of said side bars, and transversely-ar ranged grip-loops attached to the upper surface of the webbing and extended to form tongues provided with eyelets for engaging said pins, substantially as specified.

3. A cot having parallel side bars, a connecting flexible webbing secured at its side edges to said sidebars, folding legs, each comprising members pivotally connected at intermediate points, and hingedly mounted at their upper extremities respectively upon said side bars, the side bars being adapted for arrangement in contact at their adjacent sides, and the legs being adapted to fold inward and lie laterally within the contour of the folded side bars, and the transversely-looped webbing being adapted to be wrapped around said side bars and folded legs, transversely-disposed grip-loops attached to the upper surface of the webbing at spaced points, and ex tended to form tongues having eyelets, and

. means carried by'one of the side bars for engaging said tongues when the webbing is wrapped around the folded frame members of the cot, substantially as specified.

4. The herein-described cot having parallel side bars, a connecting flexible webbing secured at its side edges to said side bars, terminal legs or supports for the side bars each consisting of members pivotally connected at intermediate points to fold in parallel planes, and having theirupper ends hinged respec- IIO t'ively to said side bars, jointedbraces between one member of each leg or support and the adjacent side bars said braces being provided with stops to limit their extension, and the side bars having their inner edges adjacent to the legs recessed, the said recesses unitedly forming seats when the side bars are brought together to receive the jointed braces when folded, and means for securing the web- IO hing when wrapped about the side bars and folded legs or supports, substantially as specifled.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

SEARQY T. HUTOHINSGN.

WVitnesses i V T. H. MULLIN, JOHN WooDs. 

